Defiance Rising by Amy Miles Read Free Book Online

raised to shield their faces from the blistering heat.   With any luck, they’ll be held back by the same force that traps us, but how long will the heat last?   I can already feel the air beginning to cool slightly.   
    I tear my gaze away from the front office window as Bastien lifts me through the back opening.   “Be careful but haul tail.”
    Balancing on my toes, I shuffle along the lip.   My calves begin to burn as I press my cheek against the wall, straining to keep my weight shifted forward.   Bastien quickly follows, right on my heels.   I can hear his grunts of pain as his injured hand cups the wall but I don’t stop to look back.
    I dig the tips of my fingers into the cracks of the concrete block wall, pulling myself along.   My heart thunders in my ears, covering the sounds of Squaddies approaching from the street.   It’s only a matter of time before we’ll have to fight our way through an entire army.
    Bastien’s hip presses against mine, urging me on.   I shuffle faster, inching past three more open window frames toward a waist high concrete banister that wraps around the side of the offices.   I breathe a sigh of relief as my fingers grip the ledge and I hoist myself over.  
    He quickly follows, pulling me low as three black soldiers slip through the front door, their guns trained before them as they search for us.    “Head for the stairs,” he whispers into my ear.  
    The heat is less intense now, escaping through a gaping hole that’s been blown out the back of the building.   I can almost see the rippling waves in the moonlight as heat filters through the windows above me.
    I shake my head, frantically motioning to the men below us.   The glowing red cores of their guns illuminate their path with a dim light, allowing them to see into the deep shadows of the factory.   If we’re quiet we might be able to sneak out of here, but our chances of that happening are dismal.   The stairs to my left are only fifteen feet away, but their descent will lead us straight into alien territory.  
    “We can make it,” Bastien insists.
    I pull his face toward mine.   “They’ll see us!”
    Trust me, he mouths and rushes toward the stairs.   I curse silently as I crouch low and follow.   Bastien waits for me at the top step, his eyes narrowed with fear.   “What’s wrong?” I whisper, surprised that he’s suddenly developed a healthy dose of concern.
    He points to the metal stairs.   They descend half a flight and then end in a landing before jutting in a sharp right, back toward the front of the building.   Now all that remains is first half of the flight.   I peer over the edge and find the lower portion crumpled on the ground below.
    Now what?   I mouth to him.   He jerks his finger over the ledge and mimes climbing down the stairs.   No!   I shake my head with a silent scream.   There’s no way I’m going down that.
    He grips my arm and pulls me close, so near I can feel the heat of his breath wash over my face.   “Trust me,” he whispers.
    I stare at the drop-off, judging it to be about eight-foot high.   Not deadly by any means but certainly high enough to twist an ankle or knee.
    “Don’t drop me,” I warn as I grab his hand and ease down into a crisscross position on the top step.
    He holds up his hand and I pause.   Poking his finger through one of the slits in his shirt, he slowly tears the fabric into a long strip.   I can hear muttering from below but no rush of footsteps toward our location.   He rips another cloth and we hold our breath.
    The Squaddies form a small group just inside the lobby.   Why aren’t they searching for us anymore?   What are they waiting for?  
    Bastien carefully wraps the strips of cloth around my hands to protect them from the heat.   I wish I had something to cover my mouth so I don’t feel like I’m breathing acid.
    You can do this, he mouths, placing a hand on my shoulder.   I nod and shrug off his touch as I